


i wanna get better

by balter



Series: HTTYS [2]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Background Relationships, Established Relationship, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5869879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/balter/pseuds/balter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiro's got a lot to learn, and even more to experience -- but it certainly won't be experienced alone.</p><p>(A mostly-fluffy companion piece to How To Train Your Shiro.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i wanna get better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> timeline: late february '15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, darlings! here's what you need to know:
> 
> 1\. This is mostly gonna be ficlets. Things that didn't make it into chapters, little headcanons i wanted to expand, stuff like that.
> 
> 2\. Things that happen here DO effect the other fic. Sometimes in little ways, sometimes in less little ways.
> 
> 3\. Nothing chronological, though I'll timestamp like I do with HTTYS chapters.

Shiro ought to do something about his impulsive wandering, perhaps, but he’s not all that concerned about it. So long as he isn’t caught outside in a wretched storm like last month’s, he’s not going to worry about it. Besides, today he even decided where he was going – Kamii University.

Shiro’s seen pictures of Kaneki’s college, but he’s never actually been to the campus. Reading maps is still pretty difficult, but now that he’s figured out how the directions work, it’s a little easier. That, and people can be very accommodating to a lost stranger. Shiro still thinks that’s weird, but he won’t complain about something that helps him along.

He’s been exploring the campus for a while now, but the charm of frozen benches and dead trees only lasts so long. Shiro looks up as he sees the doors opening, crowds of students moving from one class to the next, and on impulse he follows some of them.

The building he moves into is comfortably warm, and a mess of smells. Loads more than there are in the apartment, or Anteiku, or the outdoors. It’s all crushed together here. Just like the sheer number of _people._ Those without classes have gathered in here, it seems, and the mass of humans soon have Shiro pinned by a row of coffee machines. Everyone’s buying food, it looks like.

“Excuse me, I need to reach that—Kaneki-san?” The woman reaching across Shiro’s front to grab a cup stops, and blinks up at him in bewilderment. “Wait, no…”

“I’m Shiro.” The words come out a little stiff as he looks the woman over. She’s unmistakably human. “Kaneki’s roommate.”

“Oh, so _you’re_ Shiro-san!” The woman’s face lights with understanding, and she extends her hand for a shake. “Nishino Kimi. I’ve heard… surprisingly little about you. Especially considering how Kaneki-san has lunch with us every day. But Kaneki-san isn’t a terribly talkative guy, I’m sure you know.”

“Apparently I’m worse,” Shiro responds. He shakes Nishino’s hand, then steps back so she can grab a paper cup for herself.

“Have you been to the campus before?” Nishino asks. She slips a protective sleeve over her cup before pouring hot water in.

“No.”

“Ah. Well, what do you think of it so far?”

“Crowded,” he answers bluntly.

Nishino laughs under her breath, stepping aside with her steaming cup. She tears open a tea bag, empties packets of this and that, then places a lid over the top.

“It’s even worse during lunch,” she tells him. “Nishiki can’t stand it, he always complains about how students apparently don’t know how deodorant works.” She hums thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s why I haven’t heard much about you. It can be challenging to get a word in edgewise with my boyfriend’s _constant_ whining.”

“Kimi.” A gangly brunet with glasses steps up behind the woman, a can of coffee in hand. Ghoul. He seems at ease, cocking an eyebrow over at Nishino. “Are you talking shit about me?”

“You know it.”

The ghoul rolls his eyes, _tsk_ ing. Nishino snickers at him, then picks up her tea from the counter, taking a moment to blow away curls of steam. She gestures between the ghoul and Shiro.

“Shiro-san, this is my boyfriend and general menace, Nishio Nishiki. Nishiki, this is Shiro-san.” She nods solemnly up at Nishio. “He’s better than you.”

Nishio doesn’t seem bothered by that. “With Kaneki-san and Nagachika-san, right?” he says. The ghoul scoffs, pointing at Shiro with a hand holding a can of coffee. “Those two are besotted with you, you know.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

Nishio grins crookedly over at his girlfriend. “I think I might like this one,” he comments. “Shiro-san, wanna come sit with us a while? Our last class isn’t for another hour. We can talk shit about _your_ boyfriend, if you like.”

Shiro doesn’t think they’re boyfriends. But Nishino does seem nice, Nishio seems interesting, and it’s obvious they’re both friends of Kaneki. They’ve got his scent. He’s curious if Nishino knows her partner is a ghoul. He’s curious about what sort of people they are.

Shiro smiles across at the pair, pulling a paper cup off the stack. “Not too much shit, I hope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> firstly! today there was meant to be a new httys chapter, but it isn't working out and i have to rewrite a lot. ;A; so here's this! polished up and pushed forward in time a bit, this was originally a scene in the first draft of ch03. that beastie completely changed form no less than six times.
> 
> "I Wanna Get Better" by The Bleachers got the title because the feel of it has been giving me Shiro Feelings for more than a year now. also it's just a great song. maybe i should make a shiro playlist...?


End file.
